...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief After over a year of buildup due to the demise of EliteXC, the first female MMA super fight will take place this August when Strikeforce headlines their third Showtime card with Gina Carano vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. This will be more than just a super fight as well, as the organization announced officially on Tuesday that the bout will be for the first Strikeforce 145 lb Women's Championship.
The weight distinction for this division is significant, as both fighters have had trouble making weight at lower weight classes in the past. In fact, "Cyborg" failed to make this 145 lb limit for her last fight on the first Strikeforce on Showtime card, coming in seven pounds overweight.
For Carano, however, the cut to 145 shouldn't be an issue. Fighting in the 140 lb. division in EliteXC, she could not get to that limit once in her four fights, having to cut to the 141 allowance more than once. 145 lbs. suits her just fine for this bout.
Being that it's now a Championship fight for sure, the bout will be five rounds. Presumably, and unfortunately, they will likely be three minute rounds unless something changes on that front in the next two months leading up to the bout.
Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg will air live on Showtime on Saturday, August 15th, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. The card will feature two other title bouts, as Alistair Overeem is expected to defend his Strikeforce Heavyweight Title and the Lightweight Title will be on the line in a rematch between Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson.
Penick's Analysis: This really is going to be an awesome fight card for Strikeforce. It's a great thing that Carano and Cyborg are getting five rounds for their much anticipated bout, but it's still a shame they're stuck with three minute rounds. There's no reason they can't go five minute rounds for women's MMA, none at all. But outside of that, Strikeforce has a card that could bring some people over to Showtime, even if it's only for a month to catch this show. August is completely stacked and this one is smack dab in the middle of it.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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